Who or What is RECKLESS ABANDON?Reckless Abandon is a brand new five-piece punk band originating in the USA and Canada.The band started in the summer of 2012 after lead singer and guitar player Pilgrim Pilgrim moved from Toronto, Canada to Chicago, Illinois with his wife Envy. After hours of trying and failing to get a job that wouldn't land him in jail or a grave, Pilgrim gave the finger to society and decided to build a band from the foundations of socialism and hatred of the oversupply that killed big business and led to him considering taking a real job to make ends meet. His first port of call was Craigslist, but he quickly got lost in all the ads for hookers and drugs. Once his wife Envy bailed him out of jail for kerb crawling and the possession of enough heroin to take down a small horse [stable], Pilgrim decided to look elsewhere, seeking out band mates on the internet and sticking classic "
Canadiansinger wants new band" flyers up around Chicago. Having not left a cellphone number, and having little to no access to emails due to having no clue what they are, Pilgrim was left somewhat bemused by the lack of responses.
As usual, it was Envy who bailed the guitar player out. His wife went out to find local bands in need of a singer, and put together a motley crew of punk musicians who were hanging out in skate parks around the city of Chicago. In spite of being in their mid to late 20s and angry at the world, these guys would sit on their skateboards all day talking about graffiti and kickflips, but failing to ever land either. On one side of the city, she would discover Landon Perry and Jordan Schroeder, two college flops who were clinging on to the last throes of being 19, despite actually being 25 and 23. The other side of Chicago would throw up Kim Vine, a person hating egotist with no direction and many opinions, along with her ex boyfriend and fellow drummer Jake Gomez. The four would join Pilgrim in a venture to get his political musings and ramblings out to the masses while enjoying unparralleled access to drugs and booze.
Since August, the band have been sporadically preparing for their arrival onto the punk scene, and on several occasions have actually come close to playing a live show. Once, they even booked a venue, but managed to find a way out of having to actually do something at the very last possible minute. However, times have changed, and after accepting a proposal from wife of the "front man" Envy Pilgrim to allow her to become the manager of the band, they decided to self release an EP before embarking on a "pub crawl" tour, both taking place this year. Rumours that they will be releasing the EP on cassette, mini disc and vinyl only are said to be false at this time.
The band released a statement through their manager which stated that their genre would be defined purely as "real punk". Band head honcho Pilgrim Pilgrim is quoted as saying "if you dream of saying that dreaded word in front of "punk", then the only "pop" I want to hear will be followed by the crack of your skull and the splat of your brains hitting the wall. I jest, but don't sing pop-punk." They said they will cover a wide variety of political issues from socialism and communism all the way to the running down of capitalism and a commentary about the ways this has become more and more an integral part of a music industry that has focused too much on making a star out of anyone with a set of breasts and all their own teeth.
With the summer of 2013 yet to begin, Reckless Abandon step back and look to take a run at an industry that may yet chew them up and spit them all over the ground like a petulant child eating sugarless cereal. They embrace the challenge, and the five-piece with the curious two-drummer situation is all about making themselves the anti-heroes of the business, the people everyone loves to hate, the voice of the silent majority.
PILGRIM PILGRIM Sings, plays guitar and injects heroin.Born as Ryan Pilgrim in Toronto in 1986, Pilgrim says his greatest achievement since birth came on his 18th birthday when he moved to America and legally changed his name to be the same as his surname. In an act he describes as "the perfect defiance", Pilgrim claims that the reason for changing his name comes from the fact that he believes it is the one power parents still hold over their children for the majority of their lives. "What's the one thing your parents hand you that you can never get rid of? Your name. Yet you use it every day and none of us have a say in it. Screw that. Does my name define who I am? Yes. Does it make me sound stupid? Very. Do I care? Yes, I love the fact that the defying of my parents makes me look like a dumbass. It just pushes home the power of the man all the more."
Despite his anger an political extremities - he is a massive advocate of socialism and a detractor of capitalism in all forms - Pilgrim is one of the most talented members of the band. His prowess on guitar was honed from an early age as he looked for a way to escape the teenage years that saw him plagued with acne, bad breath and bullies. His voice has a natural talent that he has often tried to disguise, given the desire for many punk singers to sound like the just ingested a broken bottle sideways. And twice. He is the reason the band formed last summer, and one of the three main songwriters. His favourite number of chords in a song is three, and his favourite number of times to hear a song with the word baby in it on any album is zero.
In his personal life, Pilgrim married his first - and to date only - wife Envy (real name Clarissa Hart) in the summer of 2006 when he was just 19 and she 16. He claims that the wedding allowed the aspiring punk in envy to defy her own parents and move away from the oppressive family she was born into. Since the wedding, the pair have fallen in love, although he continues to sleep with other women frequently, against the wishes of his wife. In addition to his sex addiction, Pilgrim is addicted to heroin, although he believes his habit to be no worse than "manageable".
LANDON PERRYPlays guitar and sometimes sings, likes to pretend he can skate.Probably the polar opposite of Pilgrim, Landon Perry was born and bred in Chicago in 1987. He has nothing in the way of political viewpoints, and unlike his new bandmate, he did not learn to play guitar to escape his tormentors. Perry in fact resents the fact he is good at guitar, often telling everyone who praises his natural talent that if he could skateboard, he would be gone in a minute flat. Growing up with dreams of being the next Tony Hawk, Perry would discover just weeks into his 14th year on the planet that he actually possessed all the prowess on a skateboard of a genuine actual hawk (the bird). Guitar was another matter however, as the 14 year old would pick up his first axe out of boredom one day, discovering a talent that would stand him in good stead for his future in music, much to his annoyance.
Even although he admits that he is only in the band as a way to make enough money to survive, and that it just happens to be something he is good at, rather than something he loves, Landon is adamant that he will try his best and hardest to ensure the band goes as far as possible. "People will be pissed at me saying I'm only in music for the money, but I find that to be very strange. I mean the majority of people around the world do jobs that they are good at...mainly for that reason. Do most IT dudes fucking love computers? I doubt it. That's what this is like for me."
In his personal time, Landon Perry still likes to try to learn to skateboard when he can, spending an inordinate amount of time on the half pipe for a chap who has clocked up 25 years so far. He is also bitter about the fact his girlfriend of four years left him for spending all of his time with his feet attached to a plank of wood and is determined to prove to her that he can indeed skate at a standard that would see him go pro. When not skateboarding or hating his talent on the six strings, Mr Perry can usually be found smoking a casual spliff or nine.
JORDAN SCHROEDERPlays bass and sings. Loves to prank.Jordan has "all the political know-how of a dyslexic do-do" according to Pilgrim Pilgrim, a fact which did not stop the grumpy singer from taking on the life loving 23-year old bassist into the band. In terms of vision and dreams, Jordan's is perhaps the purest, if the most misguided. He has always been a dreamer, and would often sit in class and visualise himself as a star on the big stage with his guitar. Music has been the biggest part of his life, and he could recite to you off the top of his head every number one metal and punk album for the past 40 years. Unfortunately for Jordan, his penchant for day dreams and frankly fucking useless music trivia meant that he simply forgot to learn to play the guitar, a fact which meant he had to hastily learn to play bass a little further down the line just so he had a part to play. He is the life long best friend of guitarist Landon Perry, and remains the only person who has any real belief in Perry's ability to make it as a pro skater.
The bass player is without a doubt the most kind hearted in the band, and has never had a bad word to say about anyone in his life He loves most music and says he can turn his hand to playing any genre. He also loves to play pranks on people, and counts his status as school joker as one of his proudest achievements. "The thing I'm looking forward to most about being in a band is the fact I can go on tour. Tour bus life seems awesome. I get to play shows and then I get to play pranks on my band. I can't wait."
Personally, Jordan is against the use of illegal drugs, and his only habit is the occasional beer. He has been single for a number of years, given the fact that he has previously had more interest in learning about the reason a B# tuning is too low for pop music rather than women. He truly is the puppy dog of the band, although he is the nicest person anyone would ever hope to meet.
JAKE GOMEZPlays drums and gets tattooed. Always. SXE and loving it.The tub thumper with the VERY extreme look, Jake Gomez is without even a smidgen of doubt the most talented musician in the band. A very quiet and reserved individual, Jake learned to play the drums when he was only 5 years old and dedicated himself to mastering the art for the majority of his life. Now 23, the Chicago native graduated from the same high school as Jordan Schroeder, on the honor roll. He likes to express himself through his impressive and expansive drum skills, as well as the many tattoos that he has been collecting on his skin since his 15th birthday. He uses ink to display emotions and milestones in his life, and has subsequently left himself with very little in the way of skin that has yet to be touched. His favourite color is blue, and if he had to eat nothing but one food forever, he adds that he would choose butterscotch ice cream.
Jake is the dreamer of the band, and while some of the others have talent, he is the one who will most likely drive them on to success given his quiet determination and his desire to make his goals a reality. He has a small tattoo inked on the inside of his left thigh which highlights all of the places he dreams of playing on a map of the US and Europe. His entrance in the band was not beyond controversy though, and he is the reason the band curiously has two drummers. Two drummers! After hiring Kim Vine, Pilgrim Pilgrim heard Jake play a live show solo and said he was determined t have him in the band, something that Gomez would only agree to if Kim was allowed to stay.
In spite of his rock n roll appearance, Jake is the only member of the band who is straight edge. He dedicates his life to his art (drumming) and has never touched any alcohol or drug in his life. Kim Vine, the other drummer, is his ex girlfriend, and the two ended on acrimonious terms, even though they try to salvage a friendship. "Everything in life is about moving forward. I have a dream and I reach for the stars. That way, the way I see it, the sky is the limit bro."
KIM VINEAlso plays drums, hates the majority of things and people.The youngest member of the band, Kim Vine is the 22 year old original drummer from downtown Chicago. She wowed the band at her performance audition for the band before later being outshone by her ex boyfriend Jake Gomez. In reality, she is not the best at her instrument, but makes up for a lack of talent by shouting a lot and looking like she tries really really hard. She is almost on the level of Pilgrim with regards her anger and hatred for the world. This emotion began as an emo style hate of love after she was kicked into touch by Jake Gomez, before turning into a desire to get angry at the powers that be. Pilgrim and she are the driving force behind most of the imagery that layers the most political songs in the band. SHe takes a very active role in songwriting for fear of being removed from the band as a lesser talented drummer.
Kim has hopes and dreams like Jake, the reason they spent a lot of time together in their late teens, but hers are merely to fit in with everyone. She masks her fear of rejection in her angry stage persona and her sarcastic remarks to most things in life. She likes to hide behind frumpy or weird clothing and her messy ginger hair. Her biggest fear is being thrown out of the band or dying alone and having a badger lick her face for a long period of time. "I want to make this work. People see that he [Jake] has all the skills, of course, but I bring the emotion and anger that he does not have."
In her personal life, Kim is a very fragile person. She loves to appear tough and cool and sarcastic. However, after being rejected by the love of her life Jake Gomez, she has since gone on to put the shutters up in fear of anyone else hurting her. She pretends to be his friend, but secretly she still loves him and hates him for what he did to her. Her drug of choice is MDMA, and she takes it frequently to help her hide away from the pain. She is also, unbeknown to herself, an ugly duckling, destined to blossom into a beautiful swan....she just needs a loving guy to show her this.
ENVY PILGRIMManages the band, gets jealous and occasionally provides vocalsWithout Envy Pilgrim, there would be no Reckless Abandon, that is a fact no one can overlook. She created the band to give her husband a focus in life and is determined to make him see it through. She believes they have what it takes, and takes personal pride in seeing them practice together. While not as political as her husband, she sometimes provides vocals for the songs that he does not want to sing, mostly those which cover topics such as love and relationships. She is a very confident and brash individual, and she is also a very talented singer. Born in Canada in 1988, she is a 23 year old who forewent her childhood to chase the dreams of the big city life. She loves mojitos and cocktails and wants to be like a punk rock version of Carrie from Sex and the City. She also loves clothes and has the dream of being a fashion designer on the catwalks of Paris, London and Milan.
While she is officially the band manager, a more accurate term might be janitor. She cleans up after them anywhere they get into trouble and is the sole person in charge of the bail fund, used to get her husband out of jail when he is arrested for possession of heroin. She also books shows (if they ever try any) and promotes the band wherever she can. She dreams big, and she has all of the confidence and ability to push them forward. She is argumentative and will never back down from anyone, earning her a fierce reputation among friends. "I don't fuck about, sweetheart. I know what I want and I tend to get it. Life is too short not to act from the word go. This girl is headed somewhere special. I'm just biding my time."
Although confident, Envy is also a bit of a brow beaten wife. Marrying Pilgrim Pilgrim in 2006, she married to escape her parents officially, but has secretly always deeply loved the singer, even though she swore at the time that it was just a convenient arrangement. She has had to watch her husband come closer to the merch girl in recent years, largely because she wants him to be happy and she knows sex with the other girl gives him that pleasure. In recent times she has become more vocal about her hatred of the affair, and may act on it somewhere down the line. She feels the fact her husband has had to look elsewhere for sex is largely her fault and hate herself for her lack of bedroom based prowess, even though she would never admit to feeling weak at any point.
THAT ONE GIRLSells merchandise, buys the drugs and sleeps with Pilgrim Pilgrim.The only official "member of the band" who offers nothing musically, That One Girl is also the most curious member of Reckless Abandon. She carries the title of merchandise director, in spite of the fact the band's only merch to date has been a denim skirt with some armholes cut in it and the band name spelled (incorrectly) across it in electrical tape. As one of the nastiest, most sarcastic and generally unforgiving women in the world, she shares Pilgrim's hatred of everything, and is his "soul mate", as well as his drugs mule, often having taken the flak for him by carrying his stash at all but the most crucial times, as well as buying it. She takes great joy in never having revealed her real name. She has no desire to change it, but burned all her documentation when she turned 18. Not even Pilgrim knows what she is really called, and she takes great pleasure in having people refer to her as "that one girl who [insert thing she did/has/been here]".
That One Girl is a particularly nasty individual who has spent the last few years sleeping with Pilgrim Pilgrim right in front of his wife's face. She has a tattoo on her back that reads "If I had met her first, Envy would never be in the picture," something that her lover is alleged to have said at a party one night. She takes great pride in telling Envy of her sexual adventures with Pilgrim and loves to see her enemy squirm. She hates Envy with a passion and would love to see her have a break down, mostly so she could have the love of her life to herself. "Love is love. I don't care if she was there first. I'll be fucked backwards with an axe before I let her silly little gold ring get in the way of me being with the man I love."
From an early age, That One Girl has been an anti-cheerleader, having infallible confidence in herself and a demeanour that sees her always walk with a swagger. She loves herself and hates almost everyone else. There is little doubt she is one nasty piece of work, and even less doubt that she is immensely proud of this fact.
